SHOEING. 



By John W. Adams, A. B., V. M. !>., 



, Professor of Surgery and Lecturer on Shoeing, Veterinary Department, University of 

 Prnr^ylvania. 



Bad and indifferent .shoeing so frequently leads to diseases of the 

 feet and to irregularities of gait, which may render a horse unservice- 

 able, that it has been thought appropriate to conclude this book with 

 a brief chapter on the principles involved in shoeing healthy hoofs. 



In unfolding this subject in the limited space at my disposal, I can 

 only hope to give the intelligent horse owner a sufficient number of 

 facts, based on experience and upon the anatomy and physiology of 

 the foot and leg, to enable him to avoid the more serious consequences 

 of improper shoeing. 



Let us first examine this vital mechanism, the foot, and learn some- 

 thing of its structure and of the natural movements of its component 

 parts, that we may be prepared to recognize deviations from the nor- 

 mal and to apply the proper corrective. 



GROSS ANATOMY OF THE FOOT. 



The hones of the foot are four in number, three of which — the long 

 pastern, short pastern, and coffinbone, placed end to end — form a con- 

 tinuous straight column passing downward and forward from the fet- 

 lock joint to the ground. A small accessory bone, the navicular, or 

 "shuttle," bone, lies crosswise in the foot between the wings of the 

 coffinbone and forms part of the joint surface of the latter. The short 

 pastern projects about 1^ inches above the hoof and extends about an 

 equal distance into it. 



The pasterns and the coffinbone are held together by strong fibrous 

 cords passing between each two bones and placed at the sides so as not 

 to interfere with the forward and backward movement of the bones. 

 The joints are therefore hliKje joints^ though imperfect, because while 

 the chief movements are those of extension and flexion in a single 

 plane, some slight rotation and lateral movements are possible. 



The bones are still further bound together and supported by three 

 long fibrous cords, or tendons. One, the extensor tendon of the toe, 

 passes down the front of the pasterns and attaches to the coffinbone 

 just below the edge of the hair; when pulled upon by its muscle this 

 tendon draws the toe forward and enables the horse to place the hoof 

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